This Sunday and the next one, our Gospel reading comes from John rather than Mark. We hear parts of two conversations that Jesus had following the miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Today, Jesus is talking to some of the members of the crowd who were fed and next week he provides some challenges to the religious leaders.
This miracle is the only one that occurs in all four Gospels. It clearly was of major importance to the evangelists and it has been a rich source of theological reflection ever since!
In a world where ordinary people were hungry for most of the time, the provision of a large amount of food would certainly grab people’s attention. Remember that the number 5,000 refers only to the men in the crowd. Their wives and families were also fed (although they probably had to wait their turn!). And we are told that their tummies were not just “nicely full”, the Greek word is rather crude and suggests that they were on the point of throwing up. Also don’t forget the huge amount of bread and fish that was left over. In the hands of Jesus, the contents of a small boy’s lunch box becomes a staggeringly generous plenty.
In today’s reading, Jesus encourages the crowds to try to understand the symbolic significance of the miracle. Just the human body is nourished and sustained by food, the soul needs to be fed and nurtured by a relationship with God. He wants them to move from the physical to the eternal. But more than that, he uses a wonderful metaphor about himself – “I am the Bread of Life”. He is saying that he is able to satisfy spiritual hunger. He does this through our reading about his mighty deeds and listening to his teachings, through the Holy Spirit that he asked the Father to send and, most specifically, in the Holy Eucharist. What an amazing promise! That the person who comes to Jesus in faith and hope and trust will never go hungry.
Father Neil Gray
Download the Liturgy at Home booklet for Sunday, August 4, 2024.